Kitsune no Tengu
by Alastriona Donovan
Summary: In the mythical land of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, a young kyuubi no kitsune named Mito searches for her cousin, Kushina. Born and raised in the hidden realm of youkai, Mito has never ventured into the outside world. There she meets a kind-hearted youkai hunter by the name of Senju Hashirama and an enigmatic yet devilishly handsome tengu: Uchiha Madara. MadaMito/HashiMito
1. Prologue

**Naruto (c) Masashi Kishimoto**

**Concept (c) FireEagleSpirit **

* * *

_ Long ago in a mysterious land called Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, there was no division between the realms of gods, demons, men and monsters. They were watched over by a divine tree that pulsed with the spiritual life-blood of the universe. The gods stayed in the highest branches of the Divine Tree, while men, monsters and demons mingled at the base. The demons wanted to destroy the makings of the monsters and devour the flesh of men. Men feared both monsters and demons, and waged war with bot races. _

_ The struggle seemed endless and the aloof gods looked down upon the struggle with an uninterested eye. Then one day, a princess of men plucked a peach of the Divine Tree and ate it. The fruit gave her extraordinary powers and she used that power to stop the wars. _

_ When the gods felt the shift in cosmic energy, they stormed down from their lofty perch to glare at the young princess: "What are you doing, foolish mortal?" Amaterasu demanded, all the fury of the sun in her glower. _

_ "You ate the peach that was forbidden to mortals! Reserved only for the gods!" Susano'o bellowed. _

_ "Who are you?" Tsukiyomi asked softly, eyeing the girl. For she no longer looked mortal, her hair had turned white as new fallen snow, and her eyes where pale as the moon and the third one in the heart of her forehead was red as fresh blood; lastly two golden horns sprouted from her forehead and curved backwards. For now she was apart of demons, gods and monsters as well as the Race of Men. _

_ "My name is Ootsutsuki Kaguya," the princess declared, holding the gods with her three-eyed gaze. "And I declare the Separation of the Realms!" Power burst forth from her, blasting the gods to the highest heavens into the Realm of Takagahara, the demons were sent to Jigoku while the restless dead were banished to Yomi. Men stayed upon Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, and the monsters... they were gifted with their own veiled realm, it was apart yet not apart of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni; thus the Race of Men called this realm..._

"...Toyoashihara no Nakatsukuni," Mito said, waving her tails to create the small illusion before her. Naruto frowned thoughtfully at the image of their own world before him, before he slapped a paw at it, dispelling the kitsune-magic.

"Is that why we are forbidden to venture beyond the forest?" Karin asked, looking up at Mito with eyes tinted red. "I mean, if our world is merely veiled from the Ashihara no Nakatsukuni... then we can go between the two very easily, right?"

"Yes, we can but we aren't allowed. After Ootsusuki Kaguya declared the Separation of the Realms, she also said that all were forbidden from crossing into a realm that wasn't theirs. Of course we all held to that law for a very long time, but every now and again we slip into the human world," Mito explained, curling her nine tails around her. "Especially when we gain more than three tails."

"Ha! Looks like you won't be leaving the Forest anytime soon, Naruto!" Karin teased. "I have five tails."

"Yeah well, I'm gonna be the greatest kistune ever! My name will go down in history! I will be the Emperor of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni! Just you watch!" Naruto declared.

"How? When all you'll ever amount to is being a three-tailed goof-ball," Karin giggled.

Naruto growled, bearing his fangs. "Well, I don't need to constantly have a leaf in my hair to stay in human form."

"That's because your father was human, dope." Karin replied lifting her head in a superior fashion. "I'm a full-blooded kitsune."

"Just because I'm half-kitsune doesn't mean I'm not better!" Naruto snapped, and nipped at Karin's foreleg. She yelped and snapped back at him, grabbing his scruff and shaking her head violently.

"Enough!" Mito shouted. "Both of you behave. Naruto, you are different because of your human blood, and you are right, you do have the potential to be better."

"See, I told ya I'm better!" Naruto stuck his tongue out at Karin, the vixen merely rolled her eyes.

"Mito-onee-san said _potential_ to be better. Not that you are, _baka_."

"Mito," a soft masculine voice broke in, causing Mito to look up before she could explain anything more to Karin and Naruto.

"Nagato... what brings you here?" she asked, staring at the seven-tailed fox.

He bowed his head before speaking, "Your father wishes to speak with you. I'll watch the young ones."

"I am not a kit that suckles at the teat anymore, Nagato!" Naruto shouted. "I can do magic, watch!" Naruto stood, legs akimbo and three fluffy tails held high, his entire body rigid. He growled and opened his mouth, only to belch a harmless little puff of flame. Karin rolled onto her back, pawing the air in her mirth, Nagato merely blinked and Mito hid her smile behind a tail.

"You need some work, Naruto," Nagato said.

"Yeah, a kitsune needs to belch giant balls of fire! Not whatever you did. We don't want those smelly tengu to ride us!"

"I'll get better!" Naruto shouted before pouncing on Karin. Mito pawed at the ground.

"Well... I hope you can handle them, Nagato-san."

"I'll keep that in mind," Nagato said before going over to deal with the two young kitsune.

* * *

Mito found her father in the heart of the Forest. He was a very old and powerful fox, his fur had turned to a pearly gold-white, yet his eyes still blazed with life. His nine tails were splayed behind him as he lounged on the great stone he sat on. "You know they say this place use to be where the Divine Tree was and where Princess Ootsusuki Kaguya divided the four races." Kurama said, looking down at his daughter. "It was a very long time ago, though. Nobody has ever found the tree's location. Many, even among youkai, believe it was a mere myth."

"What do you believe Father?" Mito asked, sitting before her imposing parent.

"I believe the story is true. The realms are divided, and though I have no wish to see them rejoined, I do believe we should cross between them. We must learn about men, for men still fear us, even though we no longer truly live among them," Kurama replied.

"I see," Mito nodded, "and what about the other youkai races?"

"We must learn about them too," Kurama nodded. "I have a special task for you, daughter," Kurama said.

"Oh? What is that?" Mito asked.

"I want you to venture out into the world of men and find Kushina."

"Kushina? She's missing?"

"Yes, I believe that fool that sired Naruto had finally trapped her, I want you to find her, free her and kill that fool."

"But... wouldn't that be breaking the Law of the Realms? We may meddle with mortals and their affairs but we are strictly forbidden from killing them." Mito pointed out with a twitch of her nine tails.

"If he were to say... have an unforeseeable accident that caused his untimely death, then that wouldn't be breaking the Law of the Realms."

"Oh..." Mito nodded.

"Now," Kurama reared up onto his hind legs and plucked a single leaf from a nearby tree. "Once beyond our borders, weave this leaf into your hair and you can assume human form. Be warned though, if the leaf were to be removed from your body, you'll return to your original shape and all will know you to be a kitsune."

"I understand Father," Mito said as she took the leaf. "I'll leave right away," she nodded.

"Good luck daughter," Kurama said as he settled back onto his stone.

* * *

Mito glanced at the moon as she walked, she could feel the fluctuating energies. "So... you're leaving, huh?" a small voice asked. Mito stopped to see Naruto standing near a tree.

"I told you she was!" Karin hissed suddenly materializing out of the darkness. "But did you listen? No!"

"Don't get Nee-chan, please don't go," Naruto dropped to his belly and crawled towards her, "I'll be good and not pull pranks on Karin. And I'll listen to your history lessons and practice more... just don't go!" Naruto whined.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I must go. I need to find you mother," Mito walked up to the little fox and licked his head, "be good and mind Nagato. Don't fight too much with Karin, cause she means well."

"Okay," Naruto said and shoved his little wet nose into the dirt, as Mito walked over to Karin.

"And you, watch out for him. You are older and wiser than he is, so keep him grounded," Mito said, nuzzling the younger vixen.

"I understand, Mito-sama..." Karin said. "You'll come back right?"

"Of course I'll come back!" Mito said. "It's not like I'm going to fall in love with a youkai-hunter or a tengu and be torn between my clan and my heart," Mito giggled. "I'll be back, I promise." And with that Mito bounded over the boarder between the Realm of Youkai and he Realm of Men.

* * *

**And so begins a new tale. This is an AU set in a mythical Japan. The names of the Realm of Men and the Realm of Youkai are traditional names used for Japan in Japanese folklore. Jigoku is 'hell' in Japanese and Yomi is the underworld, Takagahara is heaven. **

**A mature kitsune has nine tails. They are born with one tail and gain them in sets of two until they reach nine. All canon NAMED members of the Uzumaki clan are foxes. Nagato has seven, Karin has five, Naruto has three, while Mito and Kushina both have nine. Since Mito, Kushina and Naruto all have been jinchuuriki for Kurama, he is the leader of the Uzumaki clan in the story. Kurama is a very old fox, as seen by his pearly white-gold coat and the fact he has nine tails. **

**This is a fantasy story, so there will be magic. I will limit the use of Japanese because I feel it sounds really dorky, unless I feel the situation calls for it. I will use family names (like oniisan/oneesan), hime, and honorific suffixes and terms that I feel I can't translate properly into English (ie, youkai.)**

**Edit: Fixed some stuff. **

**Enjoy, R'n'R.**


	2. Little Lost Fox

**Naruto (c) Masashi Kishimoto**

**Concept (c) FireEagleSpirit**

* * *

The moon was full but the clouds obscured the silver light and hid the stars, limiting visibility, but that was no problem for the pair of tengu that ran across the rooftops on silent feet, their straw _waraji_ muffling the sound of their steps.

The pair stopped at the edge of the roof, dressed in all black they were like shadows in the night. They wore beaked half-masks that concealed their faces yet allowed their blood red eyes to peer out into the darkness. They looked at each other, nodded once and stood. They shrugged out of their kimono, their pale skin milk white in the sliver of moonlight. Crossing their arms across their chests caused wings to sprout from their backs. The winds were as longer than a man was tall and covered in ink black feathers and that fluttered in the night's breeze. The brothers gasped for breathe once the wings had finished materializing, blood running in red rivulets down their backs from the base of their wings. "Ready?" the elder of the two asked.

"Yes," the younger replied and his brother leapt off the roof into the night. The younger brother followed and with a flap of their wings they soared above the roofs towards the palace. They landed on one of the eves of the pagoda tower and withdrew their wings, leaving a red lines on their backs where they once were before putting their kimono back on. "Are you sure about this?" Izuna, the young brother, asked. "Stealing the mirror."

"I am," the elder brother, Madara, replied. "Once all three of the Sacred Treasures are assembled together, we will be able to stop the advancement of men and take back the lands that are rightfully youkai lands."

"Right," Izuna agreed and drew a slim blade and lifted the latch of the lock and pushed the shutters of the window opened. Madara swung in first followed by Izuna. They were alone in the room, and on the pedestal in the room's heart stood the octagonal shaped mirror. "I don't like this," Izuna said. "I thought there be guards or traps."

"It does seem odd that they'd just leave the mirror unprotected," Madara agreed.

"Unless it's not the real mirror," Izuna pointed out.

"These three items were used by the Ootsutsuki Kaguya-hime when she pacified the lands and separated the realms. All three are powerful magical artifacts that the Emperor uses as his imperial regalia."

"Even though he has no right!" Izuna spat. "Those items belong in the hands of youkai!"

"Silence little brother," Madara whispered. "I agree and we youkai would use these items to turn the tide of our war with the men. Though, Kaguya-hime was said to be born of men before she ate the fruit of the Divine Tree."

"What should we do?" Izuna asked.

"Well, we clearly test to see if there is a trap around the mirror," Madara said and held out his hand. A feather grew from his palm and he blew at it gently, causing it to transform into a small little raven. The little familiar fluttered off his palm and towards the mirror. It got with in a foot of the object before a seal materialized and destroyed it. "Damn," Madara muttered as the ripple of magic vibrated through the timber.

"It's a trap!" Izuna spat. He spun around when he heard the door rattle, hand growing to the wakizashi at his hip, he pulled the first few inches of steel free from it's scabbard. Madara turned when the door open and drew his own wakizashi in one fluid movement.

"I've been dying for a good fight all night," he said with a predator's grin, "this sneaking around sometimes gets on my nerves."

"Tengu!" One of the guards hissed. Madara chuckled softly.

"Oh, how very observant of you," he replied and easily slid into a fighting stance. "Shall we dance?" he asked, but he struck not waiting for a reply. The guard blocked, but was unable to dodge the punch Madara aimed at his throat. It crushed his windpipe and the tengu was already dancing to the next opponent.

Izuna watched his brother, but was soon dancing to his own song of steel against steel as the third guard leapt at him. "Damn tengu! Die!" the guard shouted. Izuna chuckled mockingly, as he parried the guard's blow and pulled out his tanto to cut the man across the cheek.

Madara killed the guard he was fighting, and went after the guard that had his brother pinned against the invisible barrier surrounding the mirror. He was half way to Izuna's aid when a gasp caught his attention. He looked over his shoulder to see a fourth guard frozen in the door way, spear in hand. Madara took a step towards him but the man gave a yelp and made for the stares, crying out an alarm as he did so. Madara threw a kunai at his back and was pleased to hear the wet thunk of it embedding into fleeing guard's back, but frowned when the man continued to yell.

"Madara!" Izuna shouted. Madara tore his attention away from the guard, and pounced on the man that had his brother pinned. Madara calmly slit the guard's throat. He flicked his wrist, the blood splattering off his blade before he sheathed it. "We need to get out of here," Izuna said and shrugged out of his kimono again, as did Madara. Wings sprout from their back and they left the way they came.

* * *

They flew over the city, the night wind cool against their skin. "There they are!" a voice shouted below them, causing both of the brothers to stop in flight. They looked down at who had said that and to Izuna's dismay and Madara's pleasure they spotted their pursuers.

"It's the damn Senju," Izuna hissed.

"_Hashirama!_" Madara bellowed, drawing his wakizashi, the steel of the blade glinting in the moonlight. Madara tucked his wings in close and plummeted towards the Senju.

Hashirama's eyes winded. "_Rin! Pyo! To! Sha! Kai! Jin! Retsu! Zai! Zen!_" Hashirama slashed the air nine times with two fingers. A patchwork of nine glowing lines materialize and shimmered before Hashirama. Madara slammed into them with all the force of his dive. He screamed, but it morphed into laughter as he feet touched the ground.

"The _kuji-kiri_," Madara stated, wiping blood from his lip. "I should expect nothing less from you, Hashirama."

"Give us back the mirror," Hashirama stated. Madara spat a glob of blood and spit on the ground.

"Don't have it," he replied and glanced at his brother as Izuna landed on a nearby roof. Izuna kept his gaze fixed on Tobirama who was standing besides Hashirama. "The damn thing was trapped, besides I don't really think it was the real _Yata no Kagami_," Madara said. "It would've been too easy if it was. By the way, clever seal barrier. You've gotten better at your _onmyodo_."

"Were you under the impression that my _onmyodo_ lacked potency?" Hashirama asked.

"No," Madara said, "just that you disliked fighting me with it." Madara lunged, blade glinting silver in the moonlight. Hashirama took a step back, drawing his own blade. The two swords met in a clang of steel upon steel. Madara flapped his wings, causing dust to swirl up and Hashirama was forced to close his eyes. Madara drew his tanto and made a slash at Hashirama's throat but the _onmyouji_ blocked it with his own tanto. "You're reflexes have gotten better," Madara said.

"I have my _shikigami_ to thank for that, it can see through your speed," Hashirama said. Madara shifted is gaze and allowed his Sharingan to blur the worlds. Sure enough there was a small spirit perched upon Hashirama's shoulder, whispering into his ear. Madara tightened his grip on his sword.

"So, this is the game you want to play, eh, Hashirama?" Madara asked.

"Leave this town," Hashirama urged. "There need not be blood shed this night."

"Oh but you're wrong," Madara hissed, "there is plenty of reasons to spill human blood! I will take back the lands your kind stole from us! I will usher in an era of peace for all youkai! No man will stand in my way!" He lunged at Hashirama and with a wave of his hand he caste an illusion that dissolved the ground and made Hashirama think he was free falling.

Madara screamed, raised his sword and brought it down in a killing arch at Hashirama. The onmyouji parried the blow in time and twisted away, trying to figure out how to dispell the illusion. "Is this the first time tasting tengu magic, Hashirama?" Madara declared and tentacles of darkness sprung up from the endless and entwined themselves around Hashirama's limp. Madara noted that Hashirama's _shikigami_ screeched in fear and struggled to free itself to aid it's master.

Madara smirked as Hashirama stared at him definitely, and raised his sword higher. He channeled his _ki _and the blade glowed a rich shade of blue and the energies lengthen the sword. Madara looked down at Hashirama. "You dance too slow, Hashirama," Madara informed the _onmyouji_ and Hashirama heard a tint of regret in the tengu's voice. Madara brought down the sword.

Hashirama freed himself at the last moment and clapped his hands together. The illusion broke and tree roots wrapped around the sword and Madara. Hashirama's eyes glinted gold as he channeled massive amounts of spiritual energies. Madara squawked as he struggled against the wooden bindings. "And this is the might of _onmyodo_!" Hashirama replied and began to chant a sutra, when he suddenly stopped at the sound of his brother's voice.

Tobirama was gasping for breath on all fours. Izuna held the tip of his sword beneath Tobirama's chin. He was smirking as he glowered down at the white haired _onmyouji_. "This is where you meet your—"

Hashirama bodily tackled Izuna and was soon pulled off of him by Madara. The older tengu placed himself between his brother and Hashirama, the tomoe of his Sharingan spinning rapidly in his agitation. "Oniisan?" Izuna whispered. Madara didn't say anything but he did flick his eyes towards Tobirama and noted the man's face was oozing blood. Three cuts, along each cheekbone and bisecting his chin; they weren't deep but they would scar. "Let's go Izuna. Clearly, the _Yata no Kagami, _is hidden elsewhere."

"What do you want with the sacred mirror of the gods?" Hashirama asked.

"I told you already," Madara said with a smirk and placed a hand over his heart. "Though I am hurt that you don't pay attention to what I say." Madara sheathed his wakizashi and leapt into the sky, his black wings snapping open and he flew off into the night. Izuna glared at the two Senju before taking flight and following his brother.

"Shall we go after them?" Tobirama asked. Hashirama looked at his brother's bleeding face.

"No. Let's get you to a healer and have your face taken care of," Hashirama said and place his hand on Tobirama's shoulder leading him back towards the city.

* * *

Mito stepped over the Veil of the Realms, weaving the leaf into her hair as she did so, assuming her human form. "So, this is what it's like to be human," Mito muttered feeling the cool evening rain pitter-patter against her creamy white skin. She grabbed the hair that fell to her to the middle of her back and looked at it. It was red as the setting sun and silky soft. She felt for the leaf and sighed with relief that it was safely hidden in the tangle of hair. She traced it lightly, casting an illusion over it; from now on it would look like any ordering lock of hair and act just the same. "Well, that takes care of that problem," she said, pleased with herself.

Off she went through the bamboo forest, stopping briefly to admire her naked reflection in the pool of water. "Well, what do we have here?" an oil voice asked from just beneath the water's surface. The speaker appeared before Mito. It's face was a crude mix between salamander and man, with a duck's bill. Wet black hair clunk to it's scalp and the only oddity was the little dent in the crown filled with the water from the pool.

"What do you want _kappa_?" Mito hissed taking a step back as the _kappa_ tried to grab her with a webbed and scaly hand.

"Is that any way to talk to one of your own, _kitsune-onna_?" the _kappa_ asked.

"The Uzumaki have no alliance with the..." Mito paused unsure which clan the _kappa_ belonged to.

"My name is Hanzo," the _kappa_ supplied. "I belong to no clan."

"Hanzo-san," Mito replied stiffly, "I must be going. I have an important task set out for me."

"Indeed you do," Hanzo agreed. "Though, I would tread carefully little fox."

"I don't need any help from an oily-tongued _kappa_ like you," Mito hissed, her tea colored eyes flashing as she headed away from the pool of water. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!"

"It's not just men that you have worry about little fox," Hanzo called out to her, "_oni_ and _y__ū__rei_ also lurk in these woods."

"I'm not afraid of a few demons and vengeful ghosts!" Mito called back.

Hanzo watched her summon a _kitsunebi_, and watched as the pale yellow light bobbed away as Mito walked. "I tried to warn her," Hanzo muttered with a shrug before slipping back into the water.

* * *

By midnight, Mito was cold and shivering, her hair wet and cold against her back. Her fox-fire bobbed cheerily before her lighting her way and she kept he senses on alert for _yūrei_ and _oni_. She jumped when she heard a twig snap and summoned a ball of flames to her palm, and she covered her naked breasts. She never fought a _yūrei _before, but she knew how to use sealing magicks and thus rationalized that a simple seal would hold the spirit at bay.

The source of the sound turned out to be an old woodcutter. "Oh," Mito whispered, smiling at the man. "Would you help me?" she asked, allowing one nipple to peek through her fingers as she touched a finger to her lips. "I'm afraid I'm lost and some brigands stole all my clothes," Mito said.

"Of course, of course," the old woodcutter agreed, bowing low. "This way, lovely maiden," he said and closed the gap between him and Mito. He grabbed Mito's hand and lead her towards his little hut in the woods.

Once they reached the hut, his wife dressed her in a plane cotton kimono with a dark obi. Mito tied her hair in the _o-dango_ style with some ribbon that the wife gave her. "I think she's the _kami_ of the forest," the woodcutter told his wife.

"Bah!" the wife huffed. "She's probably a damn _kitsune_. No _kami_ would be that beautiful and you would be unlucky enough to bring a _kitsune_ home too."

"They say that Amaterasu-ōmikami is that beautiful," the woodcutter countered.

"Why would Amaterasu-ōmikami come to you in the guise of a young woman?" the wife asked her husband with an arched brow. The woodcutter muttered something and hunched his stooped shoulders.

"Do you have anything to eat?" Mito asked.

"What would you like?" the wife asked. "All you have to do is name it."

"Hmm." Mito tapped her lip. "I would like tofu if you have any." Mito said, and licked her lips at the thought of tofu. She remembered going with Kushina to some of the shrines dedicated to Inari and sampling the various tofu dishes the peasants would leave at the alters. The wife's eyes widen and she looked at her husband.

"Tofu?" the wife asked as if to clarify the request.

"Yes, tofu," Mito agreed pleasantly enough. The wife nodded and dragged he husband into the back of the house.

"You fool!" she hissed. "You brought home a fox!"

"How was I suppose to know she was a fox!" the woodcutter protested, shaking in fright at the anger in his wife's gaze.

"Did you see her shadow? A _kitsune_'s shadow doesn't lie!"

"It was dark and raining, how was I to see her shadow," the woodcutter muttered. "Maybe if we help her she will reward us. She could be an benevolent fox."

"Or devour our livers in our sleep!" the wife muttered.

"We should help her. It's wise to help a stranger upon the road, fox or not," the woodcutter said. "We will take our chances."

The wife glared at her husband before relenting. "You're right. We may get lucky and she'll reveal where she keeps her _hoshi no tama_ while she sleeps and we can use it at leverage against her."

"Yes, yes," the woodcutter agreed. "Let's be good to her."

Mito's eyes widen and she took a few silent steps back. These humans were more clever than she gave them credit for. She was always under the impression that humans were rather dull, considering that the man Kushina fancied was a dimwit. _I must leave_, Mito thought and made for the door. She didn't have any shoes of her own but the wife's _waraji_ were roughly her size and she reasoned that she could buy a better pair of shoes once she was in a city. She put the straw sandals on and hastily exited the woodcutter's hut.

* * *

She didn't know how long she ran or in what direction. She feared that if she lit another _kitsunebi_ the woodcutter and his wife would find her and take her _hoshi no tama_ from her. She heard laughter in the darkness and the spine-chilling wails of the restless dead. Mito swallowed. She never knew the forests back in Toyoashihara no Nakatsukuni to be so spooky.

She finally stopped and placed a hand against a tree to catch her breath. She could see the eastern sky begin to lighten and a silver mist curl along the forest floor. There was a rustling in the branches. Something stirred.

Mito swallowed and looked up into the trees. She thought she saw the flickering of black shadows, but couldn't tell and she dare not use her magic in case it attracted things she didn't want to deal with. She cursed herself for not listening to the _kappa_ Hanzo. He did try to warn her but she was too stubborn to listen.

There was the raspy caw of a raven somewhere far off and a snap of a twig behind her. Mito jumped, and twirled around with a little yelp. She slowly backed up until she ran into something solid. It was warm.

Frightened, Mito spun around and before she could react black gloved hands grabbed her delicate wrists. She stared up into the red eyes of her captor, his face hidden by a beaked half-mask. What little light the early dawn offered was nullified when his great black feathered wings wrapped around them. Mito felt her heart hammer in her chest, loud enough that surely he could here. "What do we have here?" Her captor asked in a deep and husky voice. "A little lost fox."

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Who did Mito meet! Guesses are welcomed, correct answer will be revealed in the next chapter! Muwhahaha! **

**First off, I want to apologize for taking so long in posting this chapter. I had a lot of things on my plate and inspiration to write (just about anything) was very low. It's only recently that I've really gotten my mojo back. Thank you for all those people who are patiently waiting for the continuation of this tale. Never fear! I do have a rough idea of how the rest of this story goes and I do know how it ends. **

**Now for a Japanese lesson! **

**Waraji: straw sandals**

**Wakizashi: the smaller blade of a daishō, roughly 12 to 24 inches long (30 to 60 cm). I felt this was a better weapon for Madara and Izuna to wield while they were playing at tengu-ninja. **

**Yata no Kagami: One of the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan. This is an octagonal shaped mirror that was said to be hung outside the cave Amaterasu was hidden in and help lure her out. It is said to be housed in the Ise Grand Shrine, in Mie Prefecture, Japan. **

**Onmyodo: The Art of Yin and Yang. It's a divination that is derived from Chinese Wu Xing and Yin and Yang. Introduced to Japan in the 6th Century, is melded Taoism, Buddhism and Shintoism. Originally controlled by the imperial government and later the Tsuchimikado family before being outlawed in the 19th Century. Seimei no Abe is a famous practitioner of onmyodo. **

**Onmyouji: A practitioner of onmyodo. In this story, the Senju clan are famous onmyouji and onmyouji are a jack-of-all-trades magic-wielding class and also protect the human realm from youkai. **

**Kuji-kiri: The Nine Symbolic Cuts. This martial art technique is derived from the ku-ji. It is taught in some old and traditional Japanese martial art schools including _but not exclusive_ to schools that have ties with ninjutsu. **

**Yūrei : Vengeful ghosts or restless dead. These are souls that are unable to rest peacefully. **

**Kappa: A type of Japanese water demon. I watched a documentary about kappa and it said that the legend may have its origins with the Japanese Giant Salamander, thus Hanzo is the name of the kappa. **

**Kitsunebi: Literally fox fires. This is the Japanese equivalent to Western will-o-wisp. **

**Hoshi no Tama: Literally star ball. These are magical balls said to be filled with _kitsunebi_ or house the soul of a kitsune. Legend claims that if a kitsune is separated from their hoshi no tama for an extended period of time they will die. Thus many heroes in legend will try to steal the hoshi no tama of a kitsune to bargain with it. Mito's hoshi no tama is magically hidden within her breast. The hoshi no tama is also said to be the kitsune's source of magical power. **

**Shikigami: Japanese equivalent to a familiar in Western Folklore. These spirits can be summoned by a onmyouji to help him. In Hashirama's case his shikigami allow him to use wood base magic (this story's equivalent of mokuton). **

**Sharingan: While I'm sure all know what the Sharingan here's how it's been adapted to the story. The Sharingan in an unique magic native only to tengu. It allows them to rapidly process visual information, see between the worlds of men and youkai, and has limited space-time manipulation abilities (basically Madara can slow time or speed it up [depending on the person prospective] and do minor dimensional shifts to make it appear as if he moved faster than the eye can follow).**

**Ki: The Japanese word for chi or life-energy. This replaces "chakra" in this AU-land, but in the terms of the Narutoverse it's basically the same thing. **

**Kitsune-onna: Literally fox woman. I couldn't find what transformed kitsune are called, so I went with this. **

**Amaterasu-ōmikami: The sun goddess of Shinto mythology, Amaterasu. This is her full name. **

**A Note about Youkai and Madara's appearance: In this story, the term youkai is used in a rather broad sense. The term covers a vast swath of Japanese folklore creatures, and it refers to those creatures as well (even if they aren't all mentioned). I try to refer to each youkai by it's proper name, though in some cases I may use it to refer to the beast youkai like foxes and tengu. **

** Madara's appearance is a mix between FireEagleSpirit's lovely artwork and inspired loosely by Kanoko Sakurakoji's interpretation of tengu in her manga _Black Bird_. The form present in Madara's appearance for this chapter is his second stage or "mix" form. A varying degree of bird to human (in both cases his more human in appearance than bird). All beast-youkai have three forms they can assume: Human, Mix, and Youkai/Animal. The first and last are self-explanatory. Mix is in varying degrees, I liken it to the degrees of Naruto's jinchuuriki transformation in the earlier parts of the manga. Mito has a mix form as well. Hashirama, sadly, doesn't have any cool forms. Lol, he does retain his sage markings as he channels more spirit power and his gold eyes. XD **

**I hope these notes don't get too long but I rather have these explained then my inbox flooded with questions about simply things. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story and keep your eyes open for the next installment! **

**R'n'R **

**Nemo**


	3. Wise Fool

**Naruto (c) Masashi Kishimoto**

**Concept (c) FireEagleSpirit**

* * *

There were no birds twittering in the trees. The morning forest had an unnatural hush upon it and the mist crept over the leaf-littered ground. Mito stared up at the tengu's red eyes; three tomoe circled the pupil lazily. Mito felt the tug of the tengu's magic, but she countered subtly with her own, dispelling any potential illusion he wanted to trap her in.

"Heh." His eyes crinkled around the corners. Mito frowned, glaring at him as she gathered her power.

_He must be smiling behind that stupid mask. _Mito frowned, knowing she'd have to knock the mask off his face before she could talk to him. Not that she'd recognized him. The tengu refused to live in Toyoashihara no Nakatsukuni; though they entered, it often enough and by divine law had territory belonging to them. "I'm not your lost pet fox," she snarled, tugging at her wrists, "Uchiha!"

She yanked and stumbled backward, her wrists free. The tengu chuckled and removed the mask. The tengu possessed cream-colored skin, a sharp angular jaw and delicate high cheekbones, a straight nose and fully lips that naturally formed into a pout. His black hair framed his face and spiked in some places. His wings retreated into his back, his mouth contorting into a grimace.

"If you aren't lost," the Uchiha asked, "then why are you in Ashihara no Nakatsukuni? In our forest no less?"

Mito bared her teeth, though she knew the gesture didn't have the same effect at it would if she was in her natural form The tengu chuckled at her. "I was leaving," Mito replied, narrowing her eyes.

"Leaving?" the tengu replied. "I don't think so." He drew his sword, left foot sliding back until his big toe was in-line with his right heel. Mito snorted, not wanting to fight. She had no weapons other than her magic. Illusions were worthless against tengu, since their accursed eyes could see through even the best kitsune illusions. To add to her problems, her _ki_ that powered her magic wouldn't replenish itself naturally in Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, which would force her to steal _ki _from humans and other youkai.

The tengu struck, giving her no choice but to fight. He was fast, having summoned his wings to give him an advantage in speed. Mito leapt back, revealing her nine ghostly tails and allowing her fangs and claws to appear. She placed her hands on the ground, snarling. Fire appeared on the tips of her tails and when the tengu was within her range, she flicked them sending off torrents of flame in his direction.

He spun in a tight spiral to avoid her flames. Mito growled backing up, watching as his sword flashed silver towards her face. She caught it with one hand and swiped at his unprotected belly with the other. He leapt back, but her claws shred the fabric of his shirt. Mito spat a fireball, but he ducked. She lunged, hands out stretched to grab him.

He dropped low, and slammed his shoulder into her gut, knocking on her back. Mito gasped as the breath forced its way out of her lungs. Groaning, she pushed herself up but the tengu tackled her to the ground, pinning her arms to her side with his legs.

Mito snarled, snapping at him but he slapped her hard, leaving a red handprint on her cheek before he thrust his hand into her chest, Mito screamed as his hand entered her body via the spirit realm. She thrashed, trying to buck him off, but it was fruitless. He pulled his hand out, a glowing pulsing ball rested in his palm. Mito panted weakly. "No…" she breathed, eyes growing wide as the tengu held her _hoshi no tama_. "Give me back my ball!" she cried.

The tengu ignored her and conjured a little box, lined with velvet inside and he set it gently inside. "No," the tengu said. "You are our prisoner now."

"I'll die if I'm separated from my _hoshi no tama_ for too long," Mito said. She wouldn't die in reality, it was only part of her soul, but the tengu didn't know that.

The tengu snorted. "That's the story you tell dull witted humans," he said, getting up. "You won't die. Just lose your ability to assume your true form and you are unable to draw upon most of your magic."

"Bastard!" Mito snarled, getting up as well.

"Strike me and I crush the ball," the tengu threatened. Mito's eyes narrowed, the snarl never leaving her lips. "Good fox," he said as another tengu appeared in the branches of the tree near them.

"Izuna-sama!" the new tengu said. Mito and the tengu looked over at the new comer.

"What?" the tengu, Izuna, said.

"Your brother requests your presence," the messenger said, he jerked his chin in Mito's direction. "Who's this?"

"A kitsune," Izuna said. "I have her _hoshi no tama_, so she's our prisoner." Izuna began to walk towards the forest. "Come along fox."

"I have a name," Mito growled.

"Good, I'm glad," Izuna said. "You are still a prisoner, and I don't care about your name." He continued to walk through the forest. Mito sighed, knowing she had no choice but to follow him.

* * *

Kushina watched the battle from her prison. She pulled, hoping to break free from the tree, but it held her fast. "You'll never get away with this!" she shouted at the woman with bone white skin and hair. She had the uncanny pupil-less eyes of one of the dragon clans known as Hyuga. There was a small slit on her forehead that was the lid to her third eye, and curved horns resembling rabbit ears sweep up from her skull. She had shaved her eyes brows and colored them black, as a sign of her noble status and when she smiled, her teeth were painted black.

"Oh," she drawled, leaning back in her throne. "I already have."

"My cousin will find me and free me!" Kushina boasted, tugging again in an effort to get free. "The _kami_ will never allow it. They united men, youkai and demons, and defeated you already once! We can do it again!"

"But my action of separating the worlds into four parts has hindered the relationship between men, youkai, and demons. The _kami_ never cared about mortals," the woman said.

"Kaguya…" Kushina snarled. "You were banished to the moon! Why have you returned?"

"I was usurped of my rightful place!" Kaguya hissed, eyes narrowing as she gripped the chair tighter. "I brought peace to the world, I brought stability! I should have ruled for ten thousand years! But no, I was deemed mad! Insane! Everyone banded together, led by my own blood to over throw me!"

"You were mad," Kushina said. "You were drunk on power and you made everything worse than what it was before. Hagoromo and Hamura were forced to lead the youkai, the demons and men against you."

"_They betrayed their mother!_" Kaguya screeched. She stood up, her bone-white hair wild in her anger, her Byakugan and Rinne Sharingan active. "They betrayed their mother," she said again in a more level voice. She walked up to Kushina and gripped the kitsune woman's cheeks. "Look," Kaguya said, forcing Kushina to stare at the battle below. "Your lover attempts to defeat my other prize." Kaguya let Kushina go.

"Minato…" Kushina whispered, feeling tears prick at the corner of her eyes. "You let Minato go! He has nothing to do with this! He's just a rice farmer!"

"Pretty good with a sword for a rice farmer," Kaguya mused, a nasty smirk on her face as she watched Minato dodge an attack from the tengu in pit as well. "Of course, Itachi is said to be Uchiha clan's prodigy. The most powerful save for the clan's leader."

_You're wrong,_ Kushina thought. She was close friends to a tengu woman by the name of Mikoto. Mikoto happened to be Itachi's mother. _Itachi isn't the strongest. Brilliant, gifted, yes give him that, but power… the power of Indra, Lord of the Tengu, that same power Madara possesses, belongs to Itachi's younger brother, Sasuke. _ "Minato can still defeat him," Kushina said.

"Confident are you," Kaguya said. She ran her fingers through her bone-white hair, chuckling softly. It grew, snaking down into the pit until it tangled Minato. The human struggled against Kaguya's hair, hacking at it with the sword he held. The demoness only laughed. "Kill him Itachi!"

"No!" Kushina screamed as she watched the tengu run his sword through Minato's heart. Tears fell from Kushina's eyes.

"Oh? Is the little kit crying?" Kaguya cackled, dropping Minato. Itachi burst through the grate Kaguya stood on. He flared his wings as he came to land near Kaguya.

"I defeated him," Itachi stated in a level tone, "you promised the victor freedom."

"You did defeat him," Kaguya said and cupped Itachi's cheek. "But you needed my help to do so."

Itachi pulled away and bowed low, slyly he plucked a feather from his wing. "I did, which means?" he asked, though he knew the answer.

"You're my prisoner," Kaguya said with glee. Her hair wrapped around Itachi, who dropped his feather. Kaguya melded him into the tree next to Kushina. "Now, you two be good and revitalize the Divine Tree for me," Kaguya said, and walked off. Two eyes pop up in the shadow of a far corner. It slunk off after Kaguya.

"Minato," Kushina whispered.

"I'm sorry," Itachi said.

"He was just trying to recuse me," Kushina whispered.

"It was a tricky cut, through the ribs just close enough to get a lung yet make it appear as if he died…" Itachi looked away.

"What?" Kushina stared at the tengu. "Are you saying…?"

"Yes," Itachi whispered with a nod. "Minato is alive. Barely, but alive."

Kushina grinned. "Inari be praised! Now what do we do? Minato can't help us."

"My feather will get my brother, he will find us."

"My cousin, Mito, is looking for me. I'm sure of it."

"Then let's just do our parts and pretend to be good prisoners," Itachi said. Kushina looked at him, having a new respect for tengu. She gave him an encouraging smile and nod.

"Yes, let's."

* * *

It was nightfall by the time Mito had gathered enough magic through meditation to be able to pick the lock on her cell. All the tengu were asleep, drunk or out drinking. She shook her head at the disgusting habits of tengu. Though the more pious tengu were holding a nightly vigil at the clan's shrine. Regardless, Mito was undetected. "Now, to just find my _hoshi no tama_ and escape," Mito muttered. She closed her eyes and cast out her senses until she felt the familiar tug of her _ki_. "Found you," she breathed and began to follow the pull.

The call of her _hoshi no tama_ led her to a six tatami mat room. She frowned, at the smallness of it, since from what she had gathered Izuna was the brother of the Uchiha clan leader, Madara. Both brothers claimed to be direct descendants of Indra, Lord of the Tengu, the Sōjōbō, but only Madara had the power of Indra.

Mito pushed the thought of Madara's frugal living habits out of her mind as she silently snuck into the room. She located the little black box Izuna had stuck her _hoshi no tama_ in; Mito crawled over to the box. She pried it open, breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of her _hoshi no tama._ The ball appeared like a ball of glass with a pulsating white light in its heart. The glow was faint from separation. Picking it up, she put the ball in her mouth and swallowed it. Mito shuddered as she felt the ball settle in the familiar place in her chest.

Mito closed the box and set it back on the shelf. She moved to leave when the sleeping tengu stirred. Mito froze only to smile and attempted to cast an illusion. Her magic wouldn't respond. "Stupid," she muttered, realizing that she was low on _ki_ and even with her _hoshi no tama_ she would need to steal more _ki_, and because she was no longer in the world of the youkai. Her eyes fell on the tengu. Smirking she crawled over to him, and straddled his hips.

Mito peered down at his sleeping face. He had the same complexion as his brother and ink black hair. Madara's jaw was stronger, more square oppose to Izuna's angular one, and Madara's cheekbones were lower than Izuna's, causing his eyes to appear somewhat larger (though not in a displeasing way); a shock of black hair covered one eye. Lastly, Madara's lips were thin and always in a straight grim line, contrasting his brother's full pouty lips.

Mito leaned forward, knowing she had one of two options in stealing _ki_. She could kiss him, which would give her enough _ki _to work a few spells before requiring more or she could bite him and drink his blood. She would prefer to have sex with him, which would give her the most _ki_, but she doubt that such a thing would be plausible at this point. _A quick kiss, just enough long enough to draw out some _ki_ that's all. _Mito told herself and she pressed her lips against Madara's.

Madara's lips were soft, tasting of sake, spicy peppers that he ate, and the pipe tobacco he smoked. Mito placed both her hands on his chest and began to coax the _ki _from him by messaging his lips with her own. She felt a moan rumble in his chest and a hand twitch by her leg, she wormed her tongue in to stroke his own. She felt his _ki_ slip down into her own body. It was a strange feeling, his _ki _being cold yet surprisingly free, like a soaring eagle.

Mito pulled away when she realized that she needed to breathe. Madara sighed, a frown tugging at his lips. "Hashirama…" he sighed.

"Hashirama?" Mito replied, wondering who that was. She moved to get up, only to blush at realizing that the tengu was aroused. She should leave while she had the chance, she had her _ki_, enough until she could find a young man to sleep with. _But on the other hand, he is aroused and I don't actually need to take him inside of me to steal his _ki_ via sex._ Mito thought to herself as she slithered down his body, taking the blanket with her.

Mito's blush deepened, until it matched her hair. He slept in the nude. Madara shivered, since the night was cool. "Shhh…" Mito breathed, weaving an illusion, "sleep, Madara," Mito said, masking her voice to sound like Hashirama's, at least she hope it sounded like Hashirama's, since she had no idea what the man sounded like. Then again, Madara was asleep and the mind was extremely open to suggestion in sleep.

Mito took his cock in her hand; it wasn't hard yet, though in a few quick strokes of her hand she had him stiff as a rod. Checking again to make sure nobody would walk in on her, Mito dipped her head between Madara's thighs and began to suck.

At first Madara didn't react, but soon her skillful tongue coaxed out a moan from him. Mito put her hands on his hips to prevent him from bucking up into her mouth and choking. She continued to suck, rolling her eyes with each vocalization let out. Sometimes he would sigh Hashirama, though it was rare.

Mito pulled back, hoping he would climax soon, since this felt like it was taking longer than it rightfully should, when a sound in the darkness spooked her. Reflex took over and she chomped down forgetting that she had a sleeping tengu's cock in her mouth.

"_Fuck!_" Madara shouted, awaking. Mito gasped, pulling away, but not fast enough for Madara saw her in her compromising position. Snarling, Sharingan in his eyes he lunged at her. Mito scrambled away and he fell short. "Fucking fox!" he shouted as he realized what she did to him. "How much _ki _did you take?"

"Just enough to escape," Mito spat, knowing that attempting to escape now was stupid. Madara grabbed her by her ankle and dragged her towards him.

"Thought you'd take a little bit more, eh?" he asked. Mito felt dizzy so close to him. He had that smell of a forest wet with rain and a faint hint of wood and pipe smoke hung around him. The moonlight pooled around them and Mito could see the muscular build of his arms and chest, white lines crisscrossed across his flesh, scars from battles past.

Mito swallowed, suddenly very aware of certain areas of her body. "That was on a whim," Mito said, licking oddly dry lips. "I should've just ran after I took what I did from you. By morning you wouldn't've realized I took anything." Her eyes shifted to the black box, his gaze followed hers and he grinned wickedly. Mito shuddered at the sight. He was dangerously alluring and that was bad. Men like him caused nothing but heartache and trouble, but oh, that wicked grin made her heart flutter with desire.

"I'll be taking back what is mine," he said. He pressed his lips against his, drawing out his stolen _ki _from his body and maybe some of hers as well. He also eased took back her _hoshi no tama_.

"Bastard," Mito forced out when he pulled away. "Give me back my ball."

"Why? So you can run off?" Madara snorted. "Don't take me for a fool, fox."

"It's Mito," she growled. He blinked.

"Very well," he said. "You did manage to steal _ki_ from me, so I will give you the respect of addressing you by your name. You are my prisoner Mito-san."

"I'm already weak and lacking _ki_, give me my—"

"Niisan?" Izuna said from the other side of the door. "Are you alright? Who are you talking to?" Izuna opened the door. He saw the way Madara and Mito were together, her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck. He held her _hoshi no tama_ between them and Mito's lips were swollen from being kissed. "What are you doing with—"

"My bride?" Madara arched a brow. "What any virile man would do with a beautiful woman in his arms."

Mito lowered her eyes demurely. "Dear…" she attempted to tug her clothes back into place.

"Right," Izuna said, sounding frustrated and confused. "So… we're allied with the Uzumaki now?"

"Seems that way doesn't it?" Madara said. "Now leave."

"Yes," Izuna said and ducked away. Mito scowled at him.

"Your wife?" she hissed and took the chance to snatch for her _hoshi no tama_, but Madara held his hand up higher.

"You want this back, you play my wife. You'll get the sex you need to keep up your _ki_ stores."

"What's in it for you?" Mito asked. She knew that he held no interest in her; he wanted this Hashirama fellow.

"You help me find the three scared treasures," Madara said. "I'll give this back to you once we've found all three. Do we have a deal?"

"I'll only help if you let me go with you. I won't allow you to keep me locked up here," Mito said.

"Fine. You can come with me and my brother when we go hunt for the treasures," Madara said and waved his hand, the black box appearing. He opened it and set her ball into it before closing it again.

"We have a deal," Mito sighed.

* * *

**Yay! Chapter 2 (technically) is finally out! **

**Bit about the kiss and Mito's meeting Madara for the first time. In some legends kitsune can steal life energy by kissing or having sex with their victims, similar to how succubi/incubi do it. **

**I have no idea when the next chapter will be up, but enjoy this for now. **

**Save an author; leave a review. **

**Nemo**


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